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Li G, Huang Y, Peng L, You J, Meng A. Agricultural carbon reduction in China: The synergy effect of trade and technology on sustainable development. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 252:119025. [PMID: 38685292 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
The control of carbon emissions from agriculture is imperative in addressing the challenges posed by the greenhouse effect. China must develop a specific pathway for reducing its agricultural carbon emissions, accounting for its unique circumstances and considering the impacts of trade liberalization. (1) The study revealing that agricultural trade liberalization (ATL) has a marked effect on lowering China's agricultural carbon emission intensity (ACEI), with robustness and endogeneity tests supporting these findings. (2) In the pursuit of emissions reduction, the crucial role of technology spillovers (TS) and the optimization of industrial structure (OIS) are essential. (3) The reduction in ACEI is particularly notable in coastal regions, areas with low environmental regulations and during periods characterized by more stable agricultural tariffs. This study shows a synergistic association between ATL and ACEI, indicates the potential for a mutually beneficial situation with advantages in both economic and environmental aspects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoxiang Li
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Emissions Trading System Co-Constructed by the Province and Ministry, Hubei University of Economics, Wuhan, 430205, China; School of Business, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Yong Huang
- School of Business, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Liang Peng
- School of Economics, Nanjing Audit University, Nanjing, 211815, China.
| | - Jiansheng You
- School of Urban and Regional Science, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Shanghai, 200433, China.
| | - Anchan Meng
- School of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
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Caicedo-Vargas C, Pérez-Neira D, Abad-González J, Gallar D. Assessment of the environmental impact and economic performance of cacao agroforestry systems in the Ecuadorian Amazon region: An LCA approach. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 849:157795. [PMID: 35931166 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Ecuador is the third largest cacao exporter in the world. Up to 10 % of Ecuador's cacao production is grown in the Amazon region, mostly under conventional (CA) and organic (OA) agroforestry systems. Despite the importance of cacao in this area, no previous studies on its environmental impact and economic viability have yet been carried out. The main objective of this research is to fill this gap and, more specifically, perform a comparative analysis between CA and OA systems. For this purpose, primary information was gathered from 90 farms (44 conventional and 46 organic ones) that implement land management practices. The environmental performance of cacao production was assessed using a life cycle analysis methodology, with a cradle-to-farm gate approach. Up to twelve impact categories and five environmental and monetary efficiency indicators were estimated based on three functional units (1 kg of cacao, 1 kg of output sold, and 1 ha). Additionally, an economic viability analysis was performed, focused on profitability. The results show that organic management allows to reduce the environmental impact in all the analyzed categories, except for the land footprint, and improved the environmental and economic efficiency of agroforestry systems. The economic analysis shows no statistically significant differences between CA and OA profitability (net margin), which can be improved by selling co-products. Despite the low environmental impact of both types of system, economic profitability is certainly one of the weaknesses of cacao production in the Ecuadorian Amazon region. This study contributes to develop technical, production-related and political actions that could improve the economic cacao production situation without jeopardizing the environmental benefit obtained by these systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Caicedo-Vargas
- Institute of Sociology and Peasant Studies (ISEC), Universidad de Córdoba, Spain and Central Experimental Station of the Amazon of INIAP (National Institute of Agricultural Research), Ecuador.
| | | | | | - David Gallar
- Institute of Sociology and Peasant Studies (ISEC), Universidad de Córdoba, Spain.
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Fernandez E, Do H, Luedeling E, Luu TTG, Whitney C. Prioritizing farm management interventions to improve climate change adaptation and mitigation outcomes-a case study for banana plantations. AGRONOMY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 2022; 42:76. [PMID: 35967891 PMCID: PMC9362632 DOI: 10.1007/s13593-022-00809-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Intervening into agricultural systems necessarily includes risks, uncertainties, and ultimately unknown outcomes. Decision analysis embraces uncertainty through an interdisciplinary approach that involves relevant stakeholders in evaluating complex decisions. We applied decision analysis approaches to prioritize 21 farm management interventions, which could be considered in certification schemes for banana production. We estimated their contribution to climate change adaptation and mitigation as well as ecological outcomes. We used a general model that estimated the impacts of each intervention on adaptation (benefits minus costs), mitigation (global warming potential), ecological parameters (e.g., biodiversity and water and soil quality), and farming aspects (e.g., yield, implementation costs and production risks). We used expert and documented knowledge and presented uncertainties in the form of 90% confidence intervals to feed the model and forecast the changes in system outcomes caused by each intervention compared to a baseline scenario without the measure. By iterating the model function 10,000 times, we obtained probability distributions for each of the outcomes and farm management interventions. Our results suggest that interventions associated with nutrient management (e.g., composting and nutrient management plan) positively affect climate change adaptation, mitigation, and ecological aspects. Measures with no direct yield benefits (e.g., plastic reduction) correlate negatively with adaptation but have positive impacts on ecology. Creating buffer zones and converting low-productivity farmland (incl. unused land) also have positive ecological and adaptation outcomes. Decision analysis can help in prioritizing farm management interventions, which may vary considerably in their relationship with the expected outcomes. Additional work may be required to elaborate a comprehensive assessment of the underlying aspects modulating the impacts of a given measure on the evaluated outcome. Our analysis provides insights on the most promising interventions for banana plantations and may help practitioners and researchers in focusing further studies. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13593-022-00809-0.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Fernandez
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES), University of Bonn, 53121 Bonn, Germany
- Escuela de Agronomía, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Casilla 4-D, Quillota, Chile
| | - Hoa Do
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES), University of Bonn, 53121 Bonn, Germany
| | - Eike Luedeling
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES), University of Bonn, 53121 Bonn, Germany
| | - Thi Thu Giang Luu
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES), University of Bonn, 53121 Bonn, Germany
| | - Cory Whitney
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES), University of Bonn, 53121 Bonn, Germany
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Kumar A, Mangla SK, Kumar P. An integrated literature review on sustainable food supply chains: Exploring research themes and future directions. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 821:153411. [PMID: 35101515 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The sustainable food supply chain (SFSC) is a research area of global significance. The increasing number of research articles in SFSC justifies this. With 80% of publications in SFSC coming up in the last 7 years, this field is expanding and diversifying at a rapid rate. The research on sustainable food supply chain (SFSC) covers a wide variety of areas and has a wide range of research themes in FSC. To facilitate the theoretical understanding of SFSC, we have conducted a review of the literature on SFSC. With the aim to define prominent research themes in SFSC, we follow an integrated review approach of structured literature review (SLR), bibliometric analysis, and thematic analysis. Bibliometric analysis was conducted using the vosviewer software version 1.6.16. The thematic analysis identified- "Waste management", "SC sustainability and impact assessment", "Decision support", "Operations management and optimization", "Food quality and safety", "Sustainable business models", "Innovation and technological solution", "SC strategy", and "Social sustainability" as the key emergent themes. We discuss the conceptual and theoretical basis of each of these themes. "SC sustainability and impact assessment" is identified as the most dominant theme in SFSC. Innovation and technological solution is an emerging theme with many new publications related to disruptive technologies coming up. Research in collaboration and decision theory-based approaches is important to enable sustainability in FSC. Quantifying waste streams, identifying hotspots are important future directions of research in SFSCM. Circular economy, AFSC, and the use of advanced technologies to enable circularity and sustainability also have great scope. The review aims to help researchers and academicians understand the boundaries and domain of SFSC and the future scope of these themes about how they can enhance the sustainability in SFSC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anish Kumar
- Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, Uttrakhand (UK) 247667, India.
| | - Sachin Kumar Mangla
- Operations Management, Jindal Global Business School, O P Jindal Global University, Haryana, India
| | - Pradeep Kumar
- Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, Uttrakhand (UK) 247667, India
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Carbon mapping frameworks for the distribution of fresh fruit: A systematic review. GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gfs.2021.100607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Ortiz-Ulloa JA, Abril-González MF, Pelaez-Samaniego MR, Zalamea-Piedra TS. Biomass yield and carbon abatement potential of banana crops (Musa spp.) in Ecuador. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:18741-18753. [PMID: 32583103 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-09755-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2019] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Banana is one of the most important agricultural products of Ecuador. It relies on intensive monoculture cropping systems with a large volume of standing biomass and large amounts of residual biomass that can be used for carbon sequestration. This study was performed (1) to quantify the yearly residual biomass generation, (2) to quantify the carbon stock of standing banana biomass, (3) to estimate the carbon sequestration potential by using the residual biomass generated yearly, and (4) to propose a biomass prediction model for banana crops in Ecuador. The study was conducted between March 2018 and January 2019 in the three main banana-producing provinces of Ecuador (Los Ríos, Guayas, and El Oro). Samples of rachis, pseudostem, leaves, and flowers from 36 banana plants of the variety Musa AAA Cavendish were taken for laboratory tests. Physical measurements such as height, circumferences, number of leaves, and weights were determined for the 36 plants. Results showed an average residue-to-product ratio of 3.79 and a country's yearly biomass generation of 2.65 Mt on a dry basis. The carbon stock of the standing biomass was estimated as 4.18 ± 1.02 Mg/ha, 5.44 ± 0.96 Mg/ha, and 5.13 ± 1.11 Mg/ha for Los Ríos, Guayas, and El Oro, respectively. The estimated carbon abatement capacity of the residual biomass is 3.92 MtCO2/year. Three biomass estimation models were developed in Python®, using the data collected in this study and least squares fitting for exponential models of the form: Y = AXn + C. The models showed good prediction capacity for Ecuadorian banana plants, with R2 up to 0.85. It is expected that this study could serve as the basis for studies on developing sustainable conversion processes of banana residual biomass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juvenal Alejandro Ortiz-Ulloa
- Reactors Engineering, Catalysis and Environmental Technologies Group, University of Cuenca, Av. 12 de abril y Agustín Cueva, Cuenca, Ecuador.
| | - Mónica Fernanda Abril-González
- Reactors Engineering, Catalysis and Environmental Technologies Group, University of Cuenca, Av. 12 de abril y Agustín Cueva, Cuenca, Ecuador
| | - Manuel Raúl Pelaez-Samaniego
- Reactors Engineering, Catalysis and Environmental Technologies Group, University of Cuenca, Av. 12 de abril y Agustín Cueva, Cuenca, Ecuador
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Systems of Production, University of Cuenca, Av. 12 de abril y Agustín Cueva, Cuenca, Ecuador
| | - Teresa Silvana Zalamea-Piedra
- Reactors Engineering, Catalysis and Environmental Technologies Group, University of Cuenca, Av. 12 de abril y Agustín Cueva, Cuenca, Ecuador
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The Environmental Impacts of Agricultural Trade: A Systematic Literature Review. SUSTAINABILITY 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/su12031152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In line with the development of international trade, environmental concerns have arisen as a global problem. International trade has the potential to increase environmental externalities such as transboundary pollution, deforestation, transportation and production relocation avoiding environmental standards. The share of agricultural goods in total export reached 15% in 2017. Since 2002, the proportion of unprocessed agricultural products have more than doubled, while the volume of processed goods in global trade has tripled. Despite the importance of agricultural trade worldwide, the number of studies exploring the trade-agriculture-environment nexus has so far been limited. This paper aims to provide an overview of the environmental impacts of agricultural trade based on the international economics literature published in recent years by way of a systematic literature review. Results suggest that most recent environmental studies do not view extended trade or trade liberalization in agriculture favourably. Only a limited number of papers state that a country or countries’ environment could benefit from agricultural trade, and only a few researchers have found that agricultural trade did not have any significant influence at all, or have instead found the effects on the environment to be ambiguous. Finally, the research reveals the most important consequences of pollution and offers potential solutions.
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Frankowska A, Jeswani HK, Azapagic A. Life cycle environmental impacts of fruits consumption in the UK. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2019; 248:109111. [PMID: 31466184 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Revised: 06/03/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Fruits are indispensable for a balanced and healthy diet. However, their environmental impacts remain largely unknown. Using a life cycle approach, this work estimates for the first time the impacts of fruits consumed in the UK. What makes the UK a particularly interesting case is that only 7% of fruits are produced domestically, with the rest imported, largely (70%) from outside of Europe. In total, 21 types of fruit and 46 fresh and processed products produced in the UK and abroad are considered to estimate the impacts at both the product and the national levels. The findings at the product level suggest that melons have the lowest and mangoes and avocados the highest impacts as a significant portion of the last two is air-freighted. Processing leads to high impacts of fruit juices, dried and frozen products. Storage has a considerable contribution to the impacts for fruits stored over a long period, such as apples. Packaging used for canned fruits and juices is also a significant contributor to the impacts. Taking the annual consumption into account, the whole UK fruit sector generates 7.9 Mt CO2 eq. and consumes 94 PJ of primary energy. This is equivalent to 4% of the annual GHG emissions and 9% of energy demand of the whole UK food sector. Moreover, fruits require 0.35 Mha of agricultural land and 315 Mm3 eq. of water per year. Oranges, bananas and apples are responsible for more than half of the impacts at the national level as they account for 64% of the total fruit consumption in the UK. It is expected that the results of this study will be of interest to different supply chain actors, including farmers, food processors and consumers, aiding them in reducing the environmental impacts of fruits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelina Frankowska
- Centre for Sustainable Use of Energy in Food Chains, Sustainable Industrial Systems, School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, The Mill, Sackville Street, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Harish Kumar Jeswani
- Centre for Sustainable Use of Energy in Food Chains, Sustainable Industrial Systems, School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, The Mill, Sackville Street, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Adisa Azapagic
- Centre for Sustainable Use of Energy in Food Chains, Sustainable Industrial Systems, School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, The Mill, Sackville Street, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
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Bonamente E, Scrucca F, Rinaldi S, Merico MC, Asdrubali F, Lamastra L. Environmental impact of an Italian wine bottle: Carbon and water footprint assessment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 560-561:274-83. [PMID: 27101464 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.04.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2016] [Revised: 04/01/2016] [Accepted: 04/05/2016] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The food sector represents one of the major impacting sectors from an environmental point of view and, among all the products, wine emerges as one of the most studied by the literature. Single-issue approaches are commonly used, but a more comprehensive analysis is desirable, since a single indicator does not properly track the pressure on the environment. This paper presents a combined carbon and water footprint assessment, with a cradle to grave approach, for a protected designation of origin Italian red wine, and suggests a correlation among the two indicators across the life cycle phases. A total CF equal to 1.07±0.09kgCO2eq/bottle and a total WF equal to 580±30l/bottle were calculated for the studied product and a direct proportionality was found between the total CF and the sum of WFgrey(indirect) and WFblue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuele Bonamente
- Department of Engineering, University of Perugia, Via G. Duranti, 67, 06125 Perugia, Italy.
| | - Flavio Scrucca
- Department of Engineering, University of Perugia, Via G. Duranti, 67, 06125 Perugia, Italy.
| | - Sara Rinaldi
- Department of Engineering, University of Perugia, Via G. Duranti, 67, 06125 Perugia, Italy
| | - Maria Cleofe Merico
- Department of Engineering, University of Perugia, Via G. Duranti, 67, 06125 Perugia, Italy
| | - Francesco Asdrubali
- Department of Engineering, University of Roma Tre, Via V. Volterra, 62, 00146 Rome, Italy
| | - Lucrezia Lamastra
- Istituto di Chimica Agraria ed Ambientale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 29100 Piacenza, Italy
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